Rolling mill



Aug., zo, 194e.

F. R. HlGHT ETAL ROLLING MILL Filed Dec; 21 1942 12 speets-sheef 1 INVENToRs Fran/"ihn, 'Rl H mi ens/z Rober? s0. fre Leidsd fz'zedrLC/z JNLZZer W' Aug, 209 1946.

F. R HIGHT Erm. 2,406,219

ROLLING MILLv Filed Deo. 21, 1942 12 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 ATTORNEY Aug. 2o, v1946. l

ROLLING MILL Filed Dec; 21, 1942 fwn/fain Je. Ha'glzz l Roperz, 0, areenslzzas f x Frzedrwlz Mueller "7d -F. R. LIGHT Em 2,406,219

12 Sheets-Sheet' 3 v INVENTORS Ail@ 20, 1946- F. R. HIGHTEfAL 2,406,219

^ ROLLING'MILL l l Filed psc. 21 1942 .12 sheets-sheet 4 z'n Raberl,

INE/ ENTO'RS Aug. 20,' 1946. .F. R. HIGH-r' ETAL nuLLING MILL 12 lsharm-sheet 5 Filed De.` 21, 1942 F. R. HlGl-rr ETAL 2,406,219

ROLLING MILL l Filed Deo. 21, 1942 12 sheets-Sheet 6 and' 7' wzds INVENToRs A RUN ...QN l

Aug. 20,` 1946.

I l ATTORNEY F. R. HIGHT ETAL V 2,406,219

yROLLING MILL Aug. 2o, 1946( Filed Deo. 21 1942 1'2 sheets-sheet 7 84 195 lll l Aug. 20, 1945 F. R. HIGHT ETAL 2,406,219

ROLLING MILL l Filed Dec. 21'l 1942 12 sheets-sheet s 7 Franh'ln/ R. High? R01??? ,jltrffeensiezzekgsd Ine mc ze er 7 ATTORNEY Allg 20, 1946--- F.. R. HIGHT ETAL ROLLING MILL Filed Dec. 2l, 1942 12 Sheets-Sheet l0 www.

NI NN N. WKN..

NBN

in 'R INVE/ToRs z'elgg Mueller -ATTORNEY A1-2.20, 1946. F; R.IH|HT mt '2,406,219

ROLLING MILL Filed Dec. 2l. 142 l2 Sheets-5119612311 l H vVENTORs Franklin j?. Hzglz't Rober? '0. 'reenshzeld' gldrwuezer ""d v ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 20, 1946 UNITED STATESl PATENT' OFFICE ROLLING MILL Franklin R. Hight and Robert 0. Greenshields, Detroit, and Friedrich J. Mueller, Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich., assignors, by mesne assignments,

to The Budd Company,`lhiladelphia, Pa., poration of Pennsylvania Application December 21, 1942, Serial No. 469,660

19 Claims.

This invention relates to rolling mills and particularly to mills for rolling relatively thin discs from at blanks.

One well-known. type of mill for this purpose employs a rotary table for supporting androtating a blank while a pair of horizontally supported rolls are moved into rollingv engagement with the blank on opposite sides of the center .(Cl. Sil- 16) thereof and move outwardly radially of the blank as it rotates so as to have a combined rolling and spinning effect to produce a relatively thin disc having a considerably larger diameter than the original blank. Usually, these mills are so constructed that when rolling a given thickness of disc, the rolls are adjusted and lixed relatively to the surface of the blank supporting table to provide a workingpass the size ofthe finished disc. As a result, if it is desired to subject a given blank toa plurality of rolling passes it is necessary to backtrack the rolls to the center of the disc along the same path which they followed in their outward rolling movement and while in contact with the surface ofthe blank,

c 2 equally divided between the different rolls of the mill.

A further object is to provide a mill constructed and arranged to control thespeed of rotation of operation as produces an improved product.

These and vother objects, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art, are accomplished vby the invention hereinafter described, one embodiment of which is shown in the accompanying i drawings in which:

after which the rolling operation can be repeated 'f with the same size Working pass as previously. While such an operation is possible and can be repeated to provide the desired number of rolling passes, it is a very severe treatment for the metal of the disc in that the rolls are forced inwardly f i'.

to their starting position while in contact with thediscs surface.

An object of this invention is to provide a mill for rolling relatively thin discs from flat blanks constructed and arranged to provide any desired number of successive rolling passes for a given disc without backtracking the rolls in contact with the discs surface.

A further object is to provide a mill for rolling discs in which a blank is subjected to successive passesi of diminishing size.

A further object is to provide a mill for rolling discs having an improved position of the roll in regard to the discs `surface resulting in an improved rolling operation and a better surface on the finished product.

A further object is to provide `a disc rolling mill arranged for operation by a single operator.

A still further object is to provide a mill for rolling discs having an improved blank and disc handling mechanism for removing rolled discs from the blank support and depositing fresh blanks thereon.

A still further object is to provide a mill constructed and arranged to roll aldisc .in such a way that the rolling operation is substantially Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a mill constructed in accordance with one embodiment of this invention, taken from the operators side of the mill and embodying an end view of the mecha-"1 nism for handling and feeding blanks.

Fig. 42 is an elevation taken from the right of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the mill shown in Figs. 1 and 2, parts being broken away and shown in section.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line 4-lv of Fig. 1. l

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. V2.

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a vertical section, on an enlarged scale, of a roll mounting.

Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8--8 of Fig. 5.

Figs. 9, 10, 11, and 12 are views showing Various details of the mechanism for controlling the feed of the rolls and are taken on the section lines 9 9, I0I, II-l I, and |2-I2, respectively, of Fig. 3.

Fig. 13 is a plan view of the blank handling and feeding mechanism showing the same in inward Yposition for placing a blank on the work table and removing a iinished disc therefrom.

Fig. 14 is a section of the blank handling mech- V t anism taken on line Ill-I4 of Fig. 13.

Fig. 18 is a diagram showing one arrangecenter and are then moved outwardly radially of f the blank while in rolling contact therewith so as to spin and roll the material of theblank to form a relatively thin disc of greater diameter. than the original blank. As 'iswell-knownin the may either be at for rolling discs having parheat produced by the rolling operation causing the lubricant to vaporize.

-'I'he particular embodiment of thel present in- Y vention, which has been chosen for the purpose of illustration and which constitutes one form of apparatus for carrying out the method of making wheel discs or the like disclosed and claimed in copending application, Serial No. 517,194, led

January 6, 1944, and entitled Method of rolling wheel discs, comprises a mill having a bed plate v 20 on which are mounted vertically extending m guideY posts 2l, shown as four in number, tied rigidly together at their upper ends by a press head l22. A vertically movable roll Vcarriage 23 art, the face of the work tableor blank'support,I

allelrsides, or it may be of conical form' to pro-.'

duce tapered discs. The rolls are slidably mounted for horizontal movement in the lower face of a vertically movable roll carriage which, is preferably formed by a hydraulically operated rain, and mechanism is providedfor accurately limiting downward `movement of the carriage toward the blank support so that the size of theworksubjecting each blank to a plurality of succesing pass betweenthe roll and the support canv beaccurately controlled. Provision is made for;

sive rolling passes and the feeding mechanism is automatically controlled to produce successive passes of decreasing size. After each pass the blank` is relieved ofthe roll pressure andthe rolls Vare, moved ,back to the centerof' theV blank while out of contact therewith.

for causing theV rolls Yto moveradially outwardly l ofthe blank an v,increasingamount on succes-vr sive passes, the increases corresponding generally with theV increase in diameter of the blank. At the sameltime the speed of rotation ofthe'work table or blank support is so controlled tliat'the` speed of the blank at the roll'pass during movei ment of the rolls radially outward is maintained substantially constant so that the material of the blank near the center thereof is rolled at ,sub-

stantially the same rolling speed as the material nearthe periphery. Also, when a plurality of rolls are employed the mechanism for moving each roll radially of the blank during thev rolling p operation is so operated and controlled as to insure the rolls moving outwardly at substantially the same speed radially of the blank so as'to` substantially equalize the amount of work done by the different rolls.

The presentV invention also comprises a blank i n In each pass` the thickness'vof the blank is decreased and the diameter increased and mechanism is provided` inthe form of a hydraulic ram has bearing plates 24, see Fig, v6,- for slidable guiding engagement .with the posts 2l), and is supported on the lower end of afiluid pressure piston 25 by a connecting. ring. 26 bolted to the carriage and engaging a groove 21 in the piston. The piston isoperated by a fluid pressure vcylinder 28 for hydraulic operation` of the roll carriage y23.'

A work table or a blank support the bed plate 20 4and comprises a housing v3| shapedto provide an inner annular flange 32 supporting Va vrotatable work table or blank support 33 Asecured by a clamping ring 34 to an annular basev member 35 supported for rotary movement on annularly arranged roller bearings 36'which areAV mounted on the annular supporting ilange 32. The table base 35 is rotated by a shaft 31 suitably geared theretoand driven fromV any suitablesource of vpower such, for example, asv

an electric motor 38.` As can be seen Vfrom Fig. 4, the blank supportingfsurface of the table'33 is of conicalshape so that the lnished` disc will have a tapered cross section, as well-known in the art. Y Obviously, if anon-tapered disc is desired the work supporting surface will be flat.` `.Each blank is Aformed with a central orice and is centered on the work holder by a cen-I tering stud 4l, see Figs'. 4 and 5. The stud is mounted in a collar 42 bolted to a socket mem'- ber 43 slidably tting in a socket in theupper end'of a sleeve 44 keyed'in the central opening of the annular base member 35, and centered within the annular flange 32 by roller bearings 45. Thevannular space between the sleeve 44 and the surrounding ange 32 is sealed at k the bottom by a packing gland '46'. The blank centering stud 4I, collar 42 and socket member 43 are vertically movable for the purpose of raising aV iinished disc above the blank support into posianddisc handling mechanism of such character p as tov permit operation of the mill by.v a single operator. By means of thisv mechanism a finished disc is automatically raised above the blank supi port at the end of the rolling operation. The operator has, in the meantime, loaded the Yblank handling mechanism with a fresh blank. AUpon' operating the mechanism the freshfblank is de- 1 posited on the blank support in properly centered position for rolling, while the finished disc I is grabbed by the mechanism and removed. Ops erationV of the mill by a single operator atrone tion to be engaged by the blank handling mech-Y anism hereinafter described. These parts are supported on the upper end of a tube 41 having a ilange 48 at the top located in the socket member 43 with a ball race 49 between the flange and the Vbottom of the socket. A washer 5I keyed to the flange has a polygonally shaped opening for non-rotatably engaging the polygonal head of a central rod 52 extending downwardly through the tubular supporting member 41. A second roller bearing 53 is located between the washer 5l and collar 42. Vertical movement `is imparted to the tube 41, centering stud 4I and associated parts-by a fluid pressure mechanism including the cylinder 54 and/piston 55, the latter having a threaded end connected tothe lower threaded end of the central rod 52 by a threaded sleeve 56, the sleeve fitting into a recess formed on the lower end of the supporting tube 41. 'I'he tube 41 and central rod 52 vare held against rotation, to prevent unthreading of the rod from' the sleeve 56, by a flat face 51 on the is mounted on asociale tube engaging a similar `face on yafbracket 58 in which the tubeis lslidable. Y

The tablesupporting be'aringsare lubricated by oil delivered to the roller -bearings 36 throughV passages {il vand 52, see Fig. 4, drilled -inthehousing .3|. From theroller bearings it ,flows loutwardly in each direction to the driving gear on one sideand to the roller bearings 45 on the other, flowing ultimatelyfintoa sump-63 .from which it is drained through passages 64. Packing 65,see Eigs. 44 y.and 5. `prevents oil ,from leaking' upwardly around the work support. A splash pan 66 is secured `to `the base 3| and surrounds the .rotary work support for the `'purpose of .collecting any liquid, grease and the .like, used-on the blank and thrown fo during rolling'tokeep'the same from entering the .driving unit. The .pan projects vabove the blanksupport a ,sufficient distance to prevent a blank being accidentally thrown out of themill bythe rotating support.

It should be noted that the .entire Work `table assembly is easily removable from the mill laterally upon removing fthe bolts which secure the work support base 3| tothe main bed 20, `after the sleeve 58 has been .Unthreaded to permit the centering stud and the associated structure being lifted out of the annular sleeve 44.

In the illustrated embodiment of the Vpresent inventionfare shown two'oppositely disposed rolls 61 adapted to be moved into engagement With a blank near the center thereof, to be moved outwardly across the blank in -a radial direction as the blank rotates, then to be lifted away from the blankto relieve it of rolling pressure and then tobe returned inwardly to the starting point near the center of the blank. Each roll Vis supported through roller bearings on the innerend of a shaft -69 keyed against rotation in `a ysupporting bracket '1.I by y.a key 12, see.Fig.8, and supported in place-bye. strap 13 4bolted tothe bracket 1 I. An end plate -14 supports the outer end of the roller shaft-E9. Lubricant is fed through `a supply passage 15, VAdrilled in the roll supporting shaft 69, and flows through passages' l5, roller` bearings r68, see Fig. "1li-thence 'through `the rear roller bearings 58 and out through passages 11 and 18 drilled in the Vsupporting shaft ES. The packing glands 19 are .to prevent leakage between the ends ofthe roll and its supporting shaft. Other packingis provided to prevent leakage between the shaft and the end plate 14.

The shaft supporting bracket 1I forms part of a roll supporting slide '8| mounted for horizontal sliding movement on guide-Ways 82 formed in the lower face of the vertically movable roll supporting ram or carriage 23, the slide being supported by clamps 83 bolted to the lower face of the carriage. The'friction faces between the slide and guide-Ways are provided with suitable Wear plates or liners 84 having grooves 85 in the faces thereof for lubrication.

Mechanism is mounted upon and movable with the vertically slidable roll supporting carriage or slide 23 for moving the rolls horizontally on the carriage. As illustrated, this mechanism cornprises a separate fluid pressure cylinder 86, associated with each roll. operating a piston 81 connected to the outer head of the roll shaft 69 by a flexible connection consisting of a split collar 88 surrounding the abutting ends of the piston rod and roll shaft and having annularlflanges 89 and 9| engaging in grooves 92 and 93 on the piston rod Aand roll shaft. respectively. see Figs. 5 and '7. Inward movement of each roll on its supporting slideis limited by a stop nut or collar 94 secured 6 tothe 4cuter `end of a shaft 95 e tending through bracket `Sit secured to the vertically movable carriage 23, Aand threaded in a socket 91 in the 4roll slideii. A pin '98 locks the stop vshaft 95 in the socket., It will be apparent that the position of the stop collar or nut 94 ony theshaft 95 willdefinitelylimit the inward movement ofthe rolliand determine the point on the disc near the center thereof at which the vrolling operation will begin. Adjustment of the 'collar on the shaftwillxvary the point atwhich the rolls engage the blank. Vertical movement of the vroll carriage 'or slide23 is effected by'hydraulic pressure .through the piston and cylinder 25 and 23. This movementis accurately guided by thebearing plates 2a engaging guidefaces formed by wear plates I IiI onseach post 2 I, see Fig. `6. The cylinder 23 is rigidly bolted :to the press head v2.2 which is supported 'upon the posts 2l. The press headand posts are'rigidly connected to the bed -plate 20 by tie rods 482 which extend through the bed plate, posts 2| and press head 22, and the assembly isfrigidly clamped together under considerable pressure by clamping collars |03 and |04 threaded Vto the lower and upper ends, respectively, of the tie rods H32. -Accordingly, the tie rods |02 are maintained in a state of tension at all times.

Mechanism vis -provided for determining and limiting the downward movement of the rolls toward the blank support for the purpose of determining Athe size of the roll pass and this mechanism is such that, if desired, the rolls can be fed nearer `to the .support to reduce thesize of successive `roll passes when a plurality of passes are employed. :As illustrated, this mechanism cornprises a kplurality of `screw shafts Ill-5, extending through and keyed to the vertically movable roll carriage or slide 23 andvprovided with stop collars i535 secured tothe lower ends thereof for limiting just-ed by a' sleeve `|01 threaded to the shaftfandl rotatably mounted in the ypress head 22, bearing sleeves `|69 being provided. The threaded sleeve has a collar III at one end and a collar II2 threaded thereto at its-lower end to -prevent longitudinal movementof 'the sleeve in the press head.

A `bevel gear I I3 is keyed tothe upper end of the As illustrated, a hand Wheel |22 rotates a ver tical shaft |23 through gears IZA, see/Fig. l6..

The shaft |23 is connected toa shaft |25 through a worm gear |26. The shaft |25 is geared to a gear I21having clutch teeth adapted `te engage similar teeth .on .one side of a clutch collar |29 featheredto -a countershaft |29 which .isfin turn connected 4to the shaft |.I6 ythrough gears I 3|- |32, `see Figsl and 12. The opposite sideof .the clutch collar :|28 has/*teeth :adapted- -to engage4 corresponding teeth on a Vcollar |33 rotatably mounted on the shaft |29 and having a crank arm v|34 connected to the Iouter end" of a piston rod |35 projecting outwardly from a cylinder |36 for a purpose to be hereinafter described. The cylinder is pivoted o-n a bracket |31, see Figs. 3 and 9. The clutch collar |28 is controlled by a lever |381pivoted at one 'end on a bracket 14| j and connected at its other end` with the pro- J'ecting end of a piston |42 projectingoutwardly from a uid pressure cylinder |43 lwhich is under the control of the operator. Y

The mechanism-for feeding the limiting stops downwardly, rotating the shaft ||6 and through f vthe gearing connection above described to rota-te Vthe threaded sleeves |61 and lower the vertical screw shafts |65 and stops |66 a predetermined amount.

After the iinal'fnishingrpass, the roll carriage Y 23 is lifted vertically to its uppermost position to permit removal of the finished disc. This upward movement is lemployed for returning the stopsto their original starting position for the first pass on the succeeding workpiece. As illustrated, this comprises an adjustable screw threaded stud |51 adjustably mounted in the top'of carriage 23 in 'i position .to engage the lower projecting end of a Ypin |52 normally pressed downwardly by a helical spring in a cylinder |54 bolted to ythe upper cross head 22. through the cylinder in-position to engage the heel of the pawl to release theV ratchet |44 The upperV end of the pin projects therefrom,Y leaving-the shaft ,H6 free to turn,

The operator, through a suitable valve, not shown,Y

then delivers air to the cylinder |36. Theclutch collar |28 being inengagement vwith the clutch rotated' through gearing |32 to return the stops |66 to their starting position. Y

vAfter completion of the finishing pass and upon I theraisingofthe roll-carriage 23 to its uppermost position, the finished disc is removed from the support 33 and a fresh blank is substituted therefor. In the present invention a blank handling mechanism operatable from one side of the mill by a single operator, provided forrboth removing the finished disc 'andinserting tle unrolled blank.- This mechanism is shown'as comprising a slide |55 slidably mounted at each side on guiderails |56 by 'means of rollers |51 secured to the downwardly 'depending sides of the slide |55 and mounted between wear plates |58 supported in the guide rails. Handles' |61 are provided for the operator .to move the slide |55 back and forth. The slide is provided with a blankV supporting plate'l62 havingnJ perforated yend |63 adapted to support Vand position the blank over the blank centering stud 4|. A' pair of finished disc engaging fingers |64 are pivoted to a bracket v|65 on the slide |55. The upper finger is spring pressed toward'the other by a at'spring |66;

VThe fingers are vertically movablearoundthe lsupporting pivot |61 and are releasably held in raised position, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 14, by`an arm` |68 formed integrally with the lower finger and extending Vrearwardly. to a position to Y|33 connected to the piston |35, .the shaft IIS is.

8 j .Y b engagea by a spring pressed laten laarpiyoltd to the slide and normally'pressed yinto arm engaging position by a coil spring |1|, a handlef|1i2 being provided for releasing the arm |68.

The lower nger |64 has a stud |13 projecting below the finger for engagement with the central orifice of a blank |14 positioned on the blank supporting plate |62, and projecting above the lower finger for engagementin the central'orice of a finished discy |15,'see Fig. `14. After completion of a rolling voperation the centering stud 4| and collar 42 are raised as shown in dotted lines in Fig-14 to 11a thennisheddisc |15 to the position shown in full lines, the slide |55 and work handlingmechanism being `retracted outwardly, to the left in Fig. 14. A plurality of disc supporting lingers |16 are rotatably mounted on shafts'l11. 'Ihe supports and shafts are vshown as four in number. The twoat the `front ofthe work support are geared to a countershaft |18 adapted to be oscillated by a crank |19'secured to the shaft and connected to .a rod I8! extending upwardly through a lug |62, see Fig. 15, on'

the vertically movable roll .supporting slide 23. A nut |83, or the like, islsecured to the upper end of the rod |8| above the lug |82 sorthat the rod |8| is raised on upward movement of the carl riage 23. Downward movement of the carriage 23 yieldingly presses the rod |8|-` downwardly by means of a helical spring |84 surrounding the rod between the lug |82 and aspring holding` nut, or the like, |85 secured to the rod; The two fingers at the rear are similarly actuated `by vgearingconnecting the vertical disc supporting;

shafts |11 to a countershaft |86 and a crank varm |81,secured to the lowerr end of operating rod |88 extending upwardly through the rollsupporting. slide and -adapted toY :be zyieldingly pressed downwardly by a helical spring |89 in the same manner as described in connection with the 'p rodrll. It will be. apparent that at the end of a rolling operation, upward movement of the carriageY 23 raises the rods |6| and |88 to rotate the dise.A supporting fingers .|16 inwardlyr todisc engaging position in Figs. 14 and (15,: this occurring after the stud 4| and Vcollar 42 have raised the finishedY vdisc above the blank support or roll table 33 infposition to be engaged and supported by the lingers. I f

By constructing the mill for operation by single operator, the space at the back of the mill isleft free and can be provided with a hood IBI connected Vto any suitable exhaust mechanism |92 for removing smoke produced during rolling by vaporization of the lubricant placedY on the blanks by the operator.

vThe operator rst places afresh blank Y|14 on the supporting plate |62. The stud |13 project- ,n ing below the lower finger |64 is'pressed into the central orifice inthe blank for centering and holding the same in proper position. The operator then moves slide |55 and theassociated work handling mechanism rinwardly to the position shown in Fig.14. Upon moving inwardly the fingers |64 clasp the finished disc |15 which is being held upon the supporting lingers |16 and,

thestud |13 projecting above the lower linger.

|64 engages in the central orifice of the nished blank. VIt should be stated, that prior to moving the work handling mechanism inwardly to the positionVY illustrated in Fig. 14,l but after the fina ished 'disc has been engaged by the supporting fingers |16,'the disc centering stud 4| and Vele-` vating collar 42 have been withdrawn to the full' line position shown in Fig. 14 so a's to permit the 9e, inwardmovement of theY work handling mechanisml and the fresh blank supported thereon. After the work handling mechanism is moved inwardly to center the fresh blank over thecentering stud 4|, the latter is again automatically elevated to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 14. This projects the centering stud. 4| upwardly through. the central oriiice in the blank |14 causing it to abut against the stud |13 and raisefthe nngers |64y and the iinished disc engaged thereby into the dotted line position illus trated. When in this position the latch |63 snaps over the rear edge of the arm |63 and holds the lingers` and disc in elevated position. Thereupon the-operator retracts the entire mechanism outwardly; The fresh blank is, however, held against withdrawal by the centering stud 4| extending through the central opening in the blank. As the supporting plate |62 is withdrawn from under the blank the latter drops on to the collar 42. The centering stud 4| and collar 42 then being lowered, the blank is located in properly centered position on the roll table or blank support 33. When the slide |55I is retracted to its extreme outermost position the iinished' disc |15 can be` easily removed from the. supporting fingers by the operator. A fresh blank is then placed on the table |62 after which the latch |69 is released by moving it against the pressure ofthe springv |1|, permitting the fingers to drop into their lower position and placing the blank centering stud |13 in the central opening of the new blank.

Assuming that a fresh blank has justbeen placed on the blank support 33, the operator manually sets the position of the roll limiting stops |06 by first admitting fluid to the fluid pressure cylinder |43, see Fig. 3, to throw the clutch collar |28 so as to connect the hand wheel |22 with the stop controlling shaft ||6. The first position of the stops |06 which determines the roll pressure and the size of the first roll pass is thus set manually in accordance with the thickness of the blank to starty with. A dial, not shown, can be connected to the stop setting shaft to guide the operator in thispreliminary setting. The clutch |28 is thenshifted to connect the shaftIZ):v with the piston rod through the clutch collar |33. Pressure is then admitted to the main cylinder 28` and the roll supporting carriage 23 and rolls, 61 are lowered, the fluid pressure cylinders 86 and` pistons 81 having been operated so .as to move the rolls inwardly to their innermost position as determined by the stops 94 on the ends of the rods 95, see Fig. 5. The blank .combined spinning and rolling operation. The

rolls are preferably moved outwardly to approximately the edge of theblank, spinning and rolling the material of the blank in such a way-as to reduce the thickness thereof and enlarge the diameter. The outward movement of the rolls is accurately determined by fluid pressure control, At'the end of the pass the carriage 23 and supported rolls are raised a small amount, approximately 1A; to 1/4 of an inch, to relieve the disc of rolling pressure and to permit the rolls to be moved inwardly again to the center'of the disc without causing them to backtrack in contact withthe material thereof. During: this period'the iiuid` pressure. cylinder |48, seeFig. 10, is. actuated to operate pawl and ratchet |44 and |45 so .as to index Vthe limiting' stops `|06 downwardly toV permit the rolls. to approach more closely to the work support to form a' second pass somewhat narrower thanthe irst pass. When the carriage 2311's again lowered to bring'the rolls into engagement with the. blank, the latter are again moved outwardly on the secondrpass. This rolls the disc into a still. thimier. form with a still larger diameter The. hydraulic control is such. that the outward movement ofthe rolls on the second pass in contact with the disc is suiiiciently greater than on the iirstV pass to accommodate and roll the'increased diameter of the disc.

number of times so as to subject a blank to any given number of roll passes. It will be desirable usually to make each pass successively smaller, butit will be apparent that reduction in the size ofthe different passes is a selective operation and successive` passes of .substantially the-same size can be employed if, for any reason it is desirable to do. so. The hydraulic control is suchthat both rolls are caused to moveY outwardly during each pass at the same speed s0 that the work done is substantially equally divided between the different rolls. At the same time, any suitable speed control mechanism can be employed in connection with the motor for rotating the work support so that the speed. of rotation of the latter is graduallyv reduced during the rollingof each pass in such a way as t0 maintain the speedof theY disc at the point of contact with the rolls substantially constant from beginning to end` of any given pass. For example, alresistance |93, see Fig. 17, in the circuitv of the table driving motor 38 can be controlled by the roll operating piston so as tov increase the circuitl resistance during rolling to ,graduallyA decrease the motor speed. asl the roll is moved Voutwardly acrossrthe blank. After a passfis finished, the speed of rotation of the work support is again raised to correspond with the beginning of the succeeding roll pass.

It will be apparent that the rolls followa substantially rectilinear path dur-ing the rolling of a given blank andthe blank is subject to a succession of passesin which the contact of the rolls therewith is always from thecenter outwardly.

Preferably, the rolls contact the blank inl such a way that the angle of attack of the material toward the. rolls is from the rear or the outside of.` the rolls. This! is preferably accomplished by so. mounting each rollthat it moves outwardly of the blank along aline |94 which' is offset from, preferably in lthe direction of rotation', but parallel to, a diametral line |95 passing through the center of the blank, as illustrated in Fig. 16. Obviously, other arrangements for accomplishing the same resultare possible. Also, each roll might be moved along a line offset in the opposite direction` from the diametral line, or moved outwardly along a diametral line but positioned at an angle thereto. With' such an arrangement the angle. of attack would remain constant throughout the roll pass.

Mounting each roll `for movement along a line offset from but parallel to a diametral' line can be accomplished in any desired manner. As illustrated in Fig. 8, a steel backing plate |95'is placed in back of the lubricated friction plate 82 at one side` of the horizontal roll lslide 1|, the parts being vso formed. thaty with thev plate in thev position This operation can be repeated any desired Il." Y i shown, the roll is offset from the diametral line in the direction of Vthe plateY a predetermined amount such, for example, as 1/4 of an inch. If

Y a greater distance of offset is required, it can be obtained by removing the steel backing plate,

extremelimit of its upward movement. At the same time, fluid pressure cylinder 54, see Fig. 5, isac'tuated to elevate the centering stud 4I and collar 42 .to raise the finished disc into position to are moved Vinwardly to disc supporting position bythe head 23 Vengaging the nuts |83, see Fig. 15, at the limit of its upward movement. The iiny ished disc is removed and a fresh blank'delivered to the mill by the operator in the manner above described in connection with the blank handling mechanism.

It vwill-be apparent that various systems of hydraulic control can be employed for operating a mill in the manner set forth.

' One such system is diagrammatically shown in Fig. 18 and comprises Aa motor 200 operating a pump 20| for pumping fluidY such as oil from e, sump or oil reservoir 202 through a line 203, low pressure unloader 204, check Valve 205 and pressure Vline 206 to. a solenoid operated four-way valve 201. 'The valve 201 is connected. by line 206 to the pressurev cylinder 28 above the head, of the piston 25, and by line 269 to the cylinder 28 belowthe piston head. The four-wayA valve is adapted to be operated in the usual manner by solenoids 2I| and 2I2 to connect the pressure 'supply line 206 with one or the other of the cylinder operating lines'208 or 209, and to connect the other of such lines with the discharge line 2 I 3 leading tothe oilv reservoir. The low pressure unloader valvev 204 is also connected to the pres- "sure supply line 206 by line 2|4, and a discharge line 2I5 connects the unloader with the oil reservoir. f The motor 200 is provided for rapid traverse of the roll carriage 23 supported on the piston 25. It may be a H. P. motor and the pump have a capacity of approximately 20 gallons per minute. A pressureggauge'ZIG is connected to the pressure supply line 206 through a gauge cock 2 I 1.V

A second motor 2I8 is provided to apply rolling pressure to the rollsthrough the piston 25. It drives a smaller capacity pump 2 I 9 for delivering i'luid pressure from the oil reservoirv through a connecting line 22 I, check valve 222 and unloader valve 223 to the supply line 206 leading tothe four-way valve 201.Y The motor 2I8 is preferably of about 5 H. P. and the pump 2|9 has a capacity' of about 21/2 gallons` per minute. A line 224 connects the pump 2I9 with the operating chamber of the unloader valve 223 so that when the pressure on the pump 2|9 reaches a certain maximum the unloader 223 is operated to connect the pump supply line 22| with the oil reservoir through' a discharge line 224 and relieve the line 206 of excess pressure.

Operation of the above-described mechanism is controlled through a conventional type of electrical system, not shown, by means of which the pistonv 25 causes the four-way valve operating Vsolenoids 2I| and 2|2 to be alternately energized forv alternately connecting the pressure line. 206V be engaged by the supporting fingers |16 which with the une aus for iowenng the piston amiwith' the line 209 for raising the piston, all in proper timedl relation to the rolling cycle. A piston operated switch 225 controls the solenoid 2|2 and a second's'witch 226 controls the solenoid 2'II, d

the switches being actuated'by suitable arms 221 and 228, or the like, connected to the piston 25.

For operating the roll shifting cylinders 86 a motor 23| of approximately l25 H. P. drives a pump 232 of about 36 gallons per minute capacity for delivering 'iluid pressure through a supply line 233, check valve 236, and unloaderjvalve 235 to a solenoid operated four-way valve 236v adapted to'be actuated by solenoids 231 and 238 to deliver fluid pressure through a pressure building valve 239 and line 24| to interconnected iluid motors 242 by means of which equal volumes ofY fluid are delivered through linesA 243 and 244to the opposite cylinders 86 to move the pistons 81 outwardly during the rolling operation soas to move the rolls across the surface of la blank being rolled at equal speeds whereby the work oi rolling is equally divided between the diferent rolls.V A discharge line 240 connects the unloader valve The'solenoid'op'er- 235 with the reservoir 202. ated four-way valve 236 is also adapted to connect the pressure supply line 233 with a line 245 for delivering fluid pressure to the outer ends of the cylinders 86 for moving the pistons 81 and rolls inwardly `to their starting points.V It isrto be noted thatthe two sections of each piston rod 81 are of different diameters so that thevinward movement of the pistons and rolls will'be at aV relatively high speed and the outwardworking movements at' a considerably reduced speed.v A speed regulator '246 is connected across the lines 24| and 245 for controlling the `volume flow therein. A series of switches 241 actuated by a switch arm 248 movable with oneof the pistons 81" are so arranged as to ycontrol the energizing: and deenergizing of thesolenoids l231 and 238 so that the pistons are moved in and out duringv rolling operation-to impart to the rolls the movements herein above described, whereby on successive passes the rolls move outwardly increasing distances corresponding with the increasing diameter of the blank being rolled. A pressure operated switch 25| is connected to the cylinder 28 above the piston 26 to stop operations if the pres'- sure builds up above'a predetermined maximum.

Various electrical control systems can be employed and it is not necessary to illustrate or describe them' in connection with this disclosure inasmuch asfthey form no part of the present invention.

Although we have described in detail one speciiic arrangement of rolling mill,Y it will be apparent that the present invention can be variously m'odied and adapted within. the scope of the appended claims.

What We claim isi` 1. A rolling mill comprising arwork support, a

roll for forming a blank on said work support, a

vertically movable roll supporting` carriage, means roll for forming a blank on said work support, a vertically movable roll supporting carriage, means for reciprocating said carriage vertically, a stop for limiting the downward movement of said carriage, screw means for adjusting and determining the position of said stop, means for manually operating said screw means to limit the rst downward movement of said carriage and determine the size of the rst roll pass, and means for returning said stop to starting position after each disc rolling cycle.

3. A rolling mill comprising a work support, a roll for forming a blank on said work support, a vertically movable roll supporting carriage, means for reciprocating said carriage vertically, a stop for limiting the downward mo-vement of said carriage, screw means for adjusting and determining the position of said stop, means for manually operating said screw means to limit the first downward movement of said carriage and determine the size of the first roll pass, and means operated by the reciprocation of said carriage for adjusting said stop to reduce the size of each suc- `cessive working pass of said roll.

4. A rolling mill comprising a work support, a roll for forming a, blank on said work support, a vertically movable roll supporting carriage, means for reciprocating said carriage vertically, a stop for limiting the downward movement of said carriage, a screw shaft for adjusting and determining the position of said stop, means for manually operating said screw shaft for positioning said stop, means operated by the reciprocation of said carriage for rotating said shaft to move said stop, and a clutch for selectively connecting said manual operating means to or dis'- connecting it from said screw shaft.

5. A rolling mill comprising a work support, a roll for forming a blank on said work support, a vertically movable roll supporting carriage, means for reciprocating said carriage vertically, a stop for limiting the downward movement of said carriage, means for adjusting the position of said stop, means for manually operating said adjusting means so as Vto set said stop to limit the downward movement of said carriage and determine the size of the rst roll pass between said roll and said work support, a pawl and ratchet mechanism actuated by the reciprocation of said carriage for operating said adjusting means to reduce the size of succeeding working passes of said roll, and means for selectively connecting said manually operated means to or disconnecting it from said adjusting means.

6. A rolling millV comprising a work support, a roll for forming a blank on said work support, a vertically movable roll supporting carriage, means for reciprocating said carriage vertically, a stop for limiting the downward movement of said carriage, a screw shaft for adjusting the position of said stop, a gear train for operating said screw shaft, a hand wheel for operating said gear train, a pawl and ratchet mechanism actuated by the reciprocations of said carriage for operating said gear train, and a manually controlled clutch for selectively connecting said hand wheel to or disconnecting it from said gear train.

7. A rolling mill comprising a work support, a roll for forming a blank upon said support, a

.vertically movable roll supporting carriage, means for raising and lowering said carriage to move said roll into and out of working engagement with a blank on said support, guide posts for guiding the movement of said carriage, screw shafts, stop members threaded to said shafts and l'shafts in timed relation to the movement of said :carriage to position said stop members and limit the movement of said carriage at any predetermined point.

8. A rolling mill comprising a work support,

,a roll for forming a blank upon said support,

a vertically movable roll supporting carriage,

means for raising and lowering. said carriage to move said roll into and out of working engagement with a blank on said support, guide posts for guiding the movement of said carriage, screw shafts, stop members threaded to said shafts and positioned to limit the downward movement of said carriage thereby to determine the dimension of the pass between said roll and said work support, and means operated by the movement of said carriage for moving said stop members to progressively change the limit of movement of said carriage.

9. A mill for rolling discs comprising a support for a blank having a central perforation, a roll for forming a blank on said support into a finished disc, means including a vertically movable pin adapted to enter the perforation of said disc for raising a finished disc above said support, means for holding said finished disc in raised position, and a blank handling mechanism movabletoward and from said support, including means for positioning a blank on said support, and means for gripping a nnished disc in said raised position to retract the same, aiter lowering of said pin, upon movement of said mechanism away from said support.

10. A mill for rolling discs comprising a support for a blank having a central perforation, a roll for forming a blank on said support, means for raising a finished disc above said support, means for holding said disc in raised position, a blank handling mechanism movable toward and from said support including a blank supporting plate adapted to position a blank on said support, gripping means adapted to engage the finished disc in its raised position, and a blank centering pin movable into the perforation of said blank for retaining the same on said support upon movement of said mechanism away from said support.

l1. A mill for rolling discs comprising a support for a blank having a central perforation, a roll for forming a blank on said support, means for raising a finished disc above said support, a plurality of rotatably mounted fingers movable into position to hold said disc in raised position, a blank handling mechanism movable toward and from said support including a blank supporting plate adapted to position a blank over said support, a blank centering pin movable into the perforation of said blank to hold same on said support, upon retraction of said plate, flexible disc gripping arms movable into position to engage said disc upon movement of said mechanism toward said support, means on said arms for engaging said perforation on said disc, said pin being movable to elevate said arms to raise said disc away from said supporting fingers, and means for releasably holding said arms in elevated position to permit removal of said disc upon movement of said mechanism away from said support.

12. A mill for rolling discs co-mprising a support for a blank having a central perforation, a roll for forming a blank on said support, means including a pin cooperating with the perforation in a blank for centering a blank on said support, f a plurality of rotatably mounted fingers movable into position to hold said ldiscV in raised position, a blank handling mechanism movable toward and from said support including a bifurcated blank supporting-plate adapted to be moved inwardly so as to position a blank over said pin when'said f pin is retracted, flexible disc gripping arms provided with a perforation engaging Vstud movable into position to engage said disc in raised position upon movement of said mechanism toward said support, means for raising said pin through the perforation on said blank to engage said stud and elevate said arms to raise said disc away from said supporting lingers, and means for releasably holding said arms in elevated position to permit removal of said disc upon movement of said mechanism away from said support. Y

13. A mill for rolling discs comprising a support for a blank having a central'perforation, avroll for forming Va blank on said support, a vertically movable roll supporting carriage for moving said roll into and out of rolling engagement with a disc above said support, a plurality of rotatably ed' to position a blank over said support, a blank centering pin movabl'einto the perforation of said blankv to hold same on said support on retraction of said plate, flexible disc gripping arms movable into position to engage said disc upon movement of said mechanism toward said support and to remove the disc from said fingers upon movement of said mechanism away from said support, and

means actuated by the movement of said roll supporting carriage for moving said fingers into and out of disc holding position.

14. A rolling mill comprising a work support, a vertically movable carriage above said work support, artransverselyV movable roll supporting slide l in line with said roll'shaft, and a iexible con- 1 nection between said piston rod and said roll shaft, including a split collar surrounding the @abutting ends of said rod and shaft and having flanges engaging grooves therein.

15. Arrolling mill comprising a bed, a work p support on said bed, a roll supporting carriage, e i a roll for forming a blank on said support and movable with said carriage into and out of rolling engagement therewith, means for moving said carriage vertically, adjustable stops for limiting j the downward movement of said carriage, and

'16' Y carriagecontrolled means for returning' said stops to their original starting position.

16. A rolling mill comprising a bed, a Work supi port on said bed, a roll for forming a blank on said work support, a vertically movable roll supportingY carriage adapted to move Vsaid roll intoy and out of engagement with a blank on said work support; meansV for moving said carriagev vertically, adjustable means for limiting the downward movement of said carriage, and a Vselectively operable manualy Y and automaticY operated means for feeding said roll toward the Y support between successive passes, stop Vmeans for limiting each successive feeding movement to a predetermined amount, and power means, op-

erative between successiveepasses and during the Y continuous operation of the mill, for adjusting said stop means a predetermined amountlfor the next succeeding pass.'y

l8.'A rolling mill comprising a rotatable .support for a blank to be rolled, a roll for forming a blank on the support, means for moving said roll outwardly across said blank a plurality of times to Vmake successive rolling passes, power operated mechanism for feeding said roll toward lsaid support between Vsuccessive passes, a mechanically controlled stop for limiting successive feeding movements to a predetermined amount, and power means, operative between successive roll passes and during thecontinuous operation of the mill,Y for adjusting said stop and determining the position of the roll on the next succeeding pass.

19. A rolling mill comprising a rotatable support for a blank tov be rolled, a roll for forming a blank on said support, means for moving said roll outwardly across the blank a plurality of times to make successive rolling passes, means for feeding the roll toward the support between successive passes, stop means for limiting each successive feeding movement to a predetermined amount, powerY means, operative between successive passes and during the continuous operation of the mill, for adjusting said stop means a predetermined amount for the next succeeding pass, and control means operated by the outward traverse of the roll to increase said outward traverse on each succeeding pass by a predetermined amount and in accordance with the increase in diameter of the blank being rolled.

FRANKLIN R. HIGHI. c ROBERT o. GREENsHIELDs. FRIEDRICH J. MUmLLER. 

